Browsing NOTES FROM THE DESK OF....

I am stuck today by the sense of immediacy, urgency and wholehearted response in all three of today’s Scripture readings. (Did you feel it, too? I often think that the Scripture readings need to be “felt” and not only “heard” or “read.” Each of them usually has an “energy” ... Read More »

As I hope you know, Archbishop Vigneron wrote a Pastoral Letter entitled Unleash the Gospel, released last June. The letter is the result of an Archdiocesan consultation process called Synod 16. The purpose of the Synod was to discern “what will make the Church in southeast Michigan a joyful ... Read More »

At the end of January, (you can see the dates, times, and locations in the bulletin insert), I would like to host several “listening sessions” with members of the parish. I hope these will be opportunities to gather and educate your new pastor about Transfiguration Parish! I am eager ... Read More »

So 2017 is just about over. Once again, it has been quite an eventful year. In January Donald Trump assumed the Presidency. Whatever you think of him, he certainly is a provocative person. With his initiatives we have witnessed the debates about immigration and proposed travel bans, how to ... Read More »

St. Francis of Assisi loved Christmas, and we Franciscans do too! As you probably know, St. Francis popularized the Christmas crèche tradition. A few years before he died, in a little Italian town called Greccio, St. Francis had the townspeople gather a manger and some live animals in a ... Read More »

The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally referred to as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word for “rejoice,” and this designation is meant to echo and reinforce the admonition from the very first sentence of today’s second reading from 1 Thessalonians, “rejoice always.” The idea is that the ... Read More »

This Advent season is a short one; we will lose the 4th week since the 4th Sunday falls on Christmas Eve. Not only does this make the scheduling of Masses a bit difficult; it also means we will not hear some of the beautiful Advent Scripture readings. We will ... Read More »

New liturgical season, new worship aids (“Celebrating the Eucharist”), new pastor! This is just some of the newness we might see this weekend of December here at Transfiguration parish. The Advent season has arrived, the beginning of the new Church year. With something new, with a new beginning there ... Read More »

A THANKSGIVING PRAYER FOR ONESELF Lord God, thank you for making me who I am. This is difficult for me to say because so often I have wanted to be someone else. I didn’t like the way I was built, the bodily features ... Read More »

In a few weeks we will be hearing Christmas carols in retail stores as we walk down the aisles of colorful packaged holiday merchandise and decorations. On our TVs we will notice the traditional Christmas movies being promoted and programmed once again. One of my favorite films for the ... Read More »